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SA authorities investigate horror traffic accident

Xinhua, July 12, 2016 Adjust font size:

The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) said on Monday that it has sent accident reconstruction experts to the scene of a major horrific road crash in Harding, KwaZulu-Natal Province where 11 people have died and eight injured.

The crash happen on Sunday when an Isuzu light delivery vehicles apparently overturned on a municipal road. The exact cause of the crash is unknown at this stage.

The RTMC said the experts will examine the vehicle, the condition of the road, and the behaviour of the driver moments before the crash occurred in order to determine the exact cause of the collision

The crash represents a major setback in the country's effort to halve the number of road collisions and fatalities, particularly as it seems that the vehicle was overloaded.

A five-year crash analysis has indicated that light delivery vehicles are contributing the second highest number of fatal crashes on the roads.

Sedans and other private vehicles are the highest contributors to fatal crashes with a contribution of 46 percent, light delivery vehicles contribute 17 percent, minibuses, combis and midibus vehicles contribute nine percent, trucks contributed five percent, while busses contribute one percent while motorcycles contribute nine percent.

There are three main causes that lead to fatalities on South African roads -- human error, un-roadworthy vehicle and environmental or road related factors, according to the agency.

Road carnage is a daily phenomenon, particularly during holidays in South Africa, which is among the countries that have the highest road facilities.

The country has more than 700,000 crashes a year on the average, with three children dying every day in road accidents.

Worldwide, the number of people killed in road traffic crashes each year is estimated at almost 1.2 million, while the number injured could be as high as 50 million. Endit